Player to Watch: Tavien St. Clair has a bright future at quarterback for Ohio State

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Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Texas.

Ohio State has had an incredible line of quarterbacks over the past 15 years. Following the injury to Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones combined to lead the Buckeyes to a national championship in the 2014 season. Dwayne Haskins had a memorable season as a starter, throwing for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns in 2018. Then Justin Fields came over from Georgia and threw 63 touchdowns over two seasons, leading Ohio State to two appearances in the College Football Playoff, followed by two great seasons from C.J. Stroud.

Julian Sayin was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season and will again be taking the snaps for the Buckeyes this season. It is likely Sayin declares for the NFL Draft following this season, which could lead to Tavien St. Clair taking over for Sayin behind center in 2027. Not that the line of quarterbacks for Ohio State over the next five years is set in stone, but the thinking is St. Clair will be next up.

It’s easy to see why Buckeye fans are eager to see St. Clair on the field. The Bellefontaine native was massive in high school, throwing for over 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns. During his senior season in 2024, St. Clair was a finalist for Ohio’s Mr. Football award, and he was invited to the Navy All-American Bowl. All of the recruiting services had St. Clair rated as a five-star prospect.

St. Clair has all the attributes that teams are looking for when it comes to a quarterback. Entering this season, St. Clair measures 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds. Along with his size, a strong arm, excellent accuracy, and mobility that makes him a dual-threat quarterback. The thought of St. Clair working with the outstanding receivers of the Buckeyes should scare opposing coaches.

During his freshman season at Ohio State, St. Clair only appeared in one game, failing to complete either of the two passes he attempted in the blowout victory over Grambling. With Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz added of him on the depth chart, it was never expected that St. Clair was going to see much playing time in his first year on campus.

Now that we have moved on to 2026, this was supposed to be the year we started to see some progression from St. Clair. Even though Sayin is back for his junior season, St. Clair is supposed to be the backup at quarterback for Ohio State this year. Not only is St. Clair expected to get more reps in practice, but he should also see more time on the field, finishing out games that the Buckeyes have a healthy lead in.

During the spring game in April, St. Clair went 9-21 for 166 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State fans got what they hope is a glimpse of the future when St. Clair found freshman wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. for a 40-yard touchdown. Along with impressing during the spring game, recently former Buckeye receiver Cris Carter said St. Clair “looks like a version of Patrick Mahomes”. There’s no doubt expectations are high for the sophomore quarterback.

While the plan for St. Clair to take over for Sayin following next season is logical, nothing in life is ever easy. So far during preseason camp, there have been rave reviews of Luke Fahey, and there is talk the freshman is pushing St. Clair for the backup job. The unexpected competition could have more to do with Fahey playing great football in practice than St. Clair not playing up to his expectations. Also, maybe Ryan Day and Billy Fessler are using Fahey’s play so far to push St. Clair to the next level.

How the battle for the backup spot behind Sayin plays out the rest of camp will be very interesting to see. If St. Clair isn’t able to hold off Fahey, it could throw a wrench into Ohio State’s progression plan, as it wouldn’t be surprising to see St. Clair enter the transfer portal after the season. Then again, if St. Clair does claim the backup job, it will likely solidify the sophomore as the heir apparent at the position.

The biggest goal for St. Clair this season is to get him on the field and taking snaps in live action. Ryan Day hasn’t done a great job of getting his backups some game action over the years, which is something he can’t afford to do this season since St. Clair looks like a huge part of Ohio State’s plans next season and possibly beyond. Get St. Clair comfortable running the offense, so Buckeye Nation can breathe a little easier when it comes to knowing what to expect from St. Clair next year if he is named the starter.

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